Coastal Carolina transfer DL Will Whitson signs with Mississippi State

Coastal Carolina defensive line transfer Will Whitson has signed with Mississippi State. He has one season of eligibility remaining.

Whitson appeared in four games this past season for the Chanticleers, recording 21 total tackles, two sacks and a forced fumble. The season before, he had 42 tackles, three sacks and five QB hurries.

Prior to his time at Coastal Carolina, Whitson spent two seasons at Independence Community College in Kansas. He was named an all-conference second team player during his second season and recorded 25 tackles and a sack.

As a transfer, Whitson ranks as the No. 370 overall player and No. 25 defensive lineman according to On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings.

Whitson is also the sixth defensive lineman for State this offseason, joining defensive end Red Hibbler (N.C. State), defensive tackle Darron Reed (Auburn), defensive end Raishein Thomas (Northern Illinois) defensive end/edge Malick Sylla (Texas A&M) and defensive tackle Jaray Bledsoe (Texas).

Overall, Will Whitson is the 18th player that Mississippi State has brought in through the portal. They’ve also lost 26 players to rank No. 23 overall according to On3’s Transfer Portal Team Rankings.

The portal officially opened on Monday, Dec. 9, 2024. More than 2,800 FBS scholarship players entered their names into the NCAA’s transfer database during the 2023-24 school year. Removing those who withdrew or went pro, the final total sat at 2,707 transfers.

So far this cycle, 2,293 players have entered the transfer portal with 757 of those already having committed to new schools.

To keep up with the latest players on the move, check out On3’s Transfer Portal wire.

The On3 Transfer Portal Instagram account and Twitter account are excellent resources to stay up to date with the latest moves.

Mississippi State lands commitment from South Alabama transfer RB Fluff Bothwell

Jeff Lebby and Mississippi State locked up a key commitment out of the transfer portal on Christmas Eve.

South Alabama transfer running back Fluff Bothwell committed to the Bulldogs on Tuesday, according to On3’s Hayes Fawcett.

The 5-foot-10, 225-pound Bothwell racked up 832 yards and 13 touchdowns on 111 carries as a true freshman this season at South Alabama. Bothwell is the third-ranked running back in the portal, according to On3’s Transfer Portal Rankings.

As a member of the Class of 2024, Bothwell was a three-star recruit out of Oneonta (Ala.) High, according to the On3 Industry Ranking, a weighted average that utilizes all four major recruiting media companies. He was the No. 69 overall prospect in the state, the No. 126 running back in the class and the No. 1,651 overall prospect in the class.

Bothwell chose Mississippi State over interest from Arizona, Cincinnati and Ole Miss.

On3’s Alex Byington contributed to this report.